What Is The Best Underfloor Heating Thermostat?

When looking for the best underfloor heating thermostat you are spoiled for choice but with too much choice comes confusion. There is a wide range of both manual and smart thermostats available, some with additional features you might find very useful. There are also thermostats that are not really suitable for underfloor heating at all but will work fine for other types of heating such as central heating with a boiler, heat pump and radiators.

You might also come across electric thermostats and water thermostats both designed to deliver efficiency and comfort for electric and water underfloor heating systems. In this article, we look at all the various types of thermostats so you can determine exactly the best thermostat for underfloor heating, which is most suited to your particular needs.

Why a Good Thermostat Matters for Underfloor Heating

The best thermostat for underfloor heating is one that is going to be reliable in helping to provide the right room temperatures for your home. Floor size, overall room space and the type of underfloor heating you have installed are often considered when calculating the total temperature output. Our temperature guide provides more information about this.

Enhancing Efficiency

Ideally, you want a thermostat that can be easily set or programmed to optimise energy efficiency. An efficient heating system will deliver maximum heat output for the least possible cost. A quality thermostat will be responsive to your commands or settings and ensure your home or individual rooms stay within the temperature range you expect.

Improving Comfort

Having thermostats installed in different rooms will enable you to control the temperatures for those rooms individually. For example, with a living room or lounge, you might require a slightly higher temperature than a bedroom or dining room. Alternatively, you might want to ensure there is a consistent temperature throughout the whole house. A good thermostat will allow you to achieve a high level of control.

Best Types of Thermostats for Underfloor Heating

The best thermostat for underfloor heating could be either a manual thermostat, a programmable thermostat, or a ‘Smart’ thermostat, depending on your preference.

Manual Thermostats

Manual thermostats are generally cheaper versions and although they will cope adequately with their built-in, basic functionality, they lack a lot of the energy-saving features that are standard with programmable thermostats. So, you might save on buying one of these but you could lose out on any serious cost savings. A manual thermostat is best for those who might prefer a simple on/off switch with a manually operated dial, which is used to set and control temperature settings.

Programmable Thermostats

Among the best thermostats for underfloor heating are programmable thermostats. These will allow you to pre-set temperature schedules for each day over a 7-day week period. Some will allow you to customise the daily temperatures too. A programmable thermostat, such as the popular “Warmup Tempo Digital Thermostat” can save you up to 20% on your energy bills and is likely to be much more energy efficient than a manual thermostat.

Smart Thermostats

A smart thermostat represents the ultimate in heating control. Smart thermostats are intuitive and can learn from your setting preferences. This means a smart thermostat is able to make the correct settings without any input from you. These thermostats are Wi-Fi enabled, so they can be conveniently controlled via an app on your smartphone, even if you are out of the house and on your way home from work or shopping. One of the most outstanding features of a smart thermostat is its ability to track and monitor energy use, providing you with up-to-the-minute data on your underfloor heating system’s efficiency.

On the question of what is the best underfloor heating thermostat then you should take into account what each type of thermostat is capable of and whether it suits your particular needs. A manual thermostat might be suitable if you are happy to switch it on and set the timings every day. However, they are not very good at energy efficiency and therefore you might not save on your heating bills.

A programmable thermostat has the advantage of pre-programming and is highly effective at switching your heating on and off at the right time when the desired temperature has been reached. However, a smart thermostat gives you so much more control over all of your heating needs whether you are at home or not and like a programmable version, can save you up to 20% on your energy bills. Check out our full range of thermostats.